Markets Decline As Investors Turn Cautious Ahead Of Holi Weekend

Indian stock markets closed in the red on Thursday as investors stayed cautious before the long Holi weekend.

Both the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) will remain shut on Friday for the festival.

Global sentiment remained uncertain due to concerns over US President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, prompting a cautious trading approach and subdued activity throughout the session.

The Sensex started strong, hitting a high of 74,401 in early trade.

However, selling pressure in auto, IT, and banking stocks erased gains, pushing the index to an intraday low of 73,771.

It eventually ended 201 points lower at 73,829, marking a weekly decline of 504 points.

Similarly, the Nifty climbed to 22,558 before slipping to 22,377 and closing at 22,397, down 73 points.

The index lost 156 points over the holiday-shortened week.

Among top losers, Tata Motors and IndusInd Bank declined nearly 2 percent.

Other laggards included Zomato, Maruti Suzuki, Asian Paints, and Bajaj Finance.

On the gaining side, SBI, ICICI Bank, and NTPC saw slight increases, but none exceeded a 1 percent rise.

The broader market also ended lower, with the BSE MidCap index dropping 0.8 percent and the SmallCap index falling 0.6 percent.

Market breadth remained weak, with 2,449 of the 4,105 traded stocks closing in losses.

Real estate stocks suffered the most, as the BSE Realty index fell 1.8 percent.

Major names like Godrej Properties, Oberoi Realty, Lodha, Brigade Enterprises, and Phoenix declined by over 2 percent.

Sundar Kewat of Ashika Institutional Equity stated, “Domestic economic data played a key role in shaping market sentiment today.”

Additionally, he noted that retail inflation eased more than expected, falling below the Reserve Bank of India’s target range for the first time in six months.

This has raised optimism about potential interest rate cuts.

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